Contents

For the one-day coronation ceremony, 16 months of preparation took place, with the first meeting of the Coronation Commission taking place in April 1952,[1] under the chairmanship of the Queen's husband, Philip, Duke of Edinburgh (later Prince Philip).[2] Other committees, such as the Coronation Joint Committee and the Coronation Commission, were established and were more international in nature; high commissioners from other Commonwealth realms were members of these groups, reflecting the dual domestic and international nature of the coronation. Still, though British organisers wanted it to be otherwise, no officials from any Commonwealth realm other than the UK would participate in the event itself; the governments of those countries considered the ceremony to be a religious rite unique to Britain; as Canadian Prime Minister Louis St. Laurent said at the time: "in my view the Coronation is the official enthronement of the Sovereign as Sovereign of the U.K... We are happy to attend and witness the Coronation of the Sovereign of the U.K. but we are not direct participants in that function."[3]

The Coronation Commission announced in June 1952 that the coronation would take place one year later, on 2 June. Elizabeth's grandmother Queen Mary died on 24 March 1953, having stated in her will that her death should not affect the planning of the coronation, and the event went ahead as scheduled.[4]

Elizabeth, meanwhile, rehearsed for the upcoming day with her maids of honour, a sheet used in place of the velvet train and an arrangement of chairs standing in for the carriage. So that she could become accustomed to its feel and weight, the Queen also wore the Imperial State Crown while she went about her daily business, sporting it at her desk, at tea, and while reading the newspaper.[5] Elizabeth took part in two full rehearsals at Westminster Abbey, on 22 and 29 May,[7] though other sources assert that the Queen attended either "several" rehearsals or one.[8][9] Typically, the Duchess of Norfolk stood in for the Queen at rehearsals.

The Coronation ceremony of Elizabeth II followed a similar pattern to the coronations of the kings and queens before her, being held in Westminster Abbey, and involving the peerage and clergy. However, for the new Queen, several parts of the ceremony were markedly different. The coronation of the Queen was the first ever to be televised (although the BBC Television Service had covered part of the procession from Westminster Abbey after her father's coronation in 1937[10]), and was also the world's first major international event to be broadcast on television. There had been considerable debate within the British Cabinet on the subject, with Prime MinisterWinston Churchill against the idea; but, Elizabeth refused her British prime minister's advice on this matter and insisted the event take place before television cameras,[11] as well as those filming with experimental 3D technology.[n 1][12] The event was also filmed in colour, separately from the BBC's black and white television broadcast.[13] Millions across Britain watched the coronation live, while, to make sure Canadians could see it on the same day, RAF Canberras flew film of the ceremony across the Atlantic Ocean to be broadcast by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation,[14] the first non-stop flights between the United Kingdom and the Canadian mainland. In Goose Bay, Labrador, the film was transferred to a Royal Canadian Air ForceCF-100 jet fighter for the further trip to Montreal. In all, three such voyages were made as the coronation proceeded.[15]

Along a route lined with sailors, soldiers, and airmen and women from across the Commonwealth,[n 2][16] guests and officials passed in a procession before approximately three million spectators gathered in the streets of London, some having camped overnight in their spot to ensure a view of the monarch and others having access to specially built stands and scaffolding along the route.[17] For those not present to witness the event, more than 200 microphones were stationed along the path and in Westminster Abbey, with 750 commentators broadcasting descriptions in 39 languages;[15] more than twenty million viewers around the world watched the coverage.[17]

Seated again on the Chair of Estate, Elizabeth then took the Coronation Oath as administered by the Archbishop of Canterbury. In the lengthy oath, the Queen swore to govern each of her countries according to their respective laws and customs, to mete out law and justice with mercy, to uphold Protestantism in the United Kingdom and protect the Church of England and preserve its bishops and clergy. She proceeded to the altar where she stated "The things which I have here promised, I will perform, and keep. So help me God," before kissing the Bible and putting the royal sign-manual to the oath as the Bible was returned to the Dean of Westminster.[32] From him the Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, James Pitt-Watson, took the Bible and presented it to the Queen again, saying "Our gracious Queen: to keep your Majesty ever mindful of the law and the Gospel of God as the Rule for the whole life and government of Christian Princes, we present you with this Book, the most valuable thing that this world affords. Here is Wisdom; This is the royal Law; These are the lively Oracles of God."; Elizabeth returned the book to Pitt-Watson, who placed it back with the Dean of Westminster.[33]

The communion service was then conducted, involving prayers by both the clergy and Elizabeth, Fisher asking "O God... Grant unto this thy servant Elizabeth, our Queen, the spirit of wisdom and government, that being devoted unto thee with her whole heart, she may so wisely govern, that in her time thy Church may be in safety, and Christian devotion may continue in peace," before reading various excerpts from the First Epistle of Peter, Psalms, and the Gospel of Matthew.[34] Elizabeth was then anointed as the assembly sang "Zadok the Priest"; the Queen's jewellery and crimson cape was removed by the Earl of Ancaster and the Mistress of the Robes,[5]the Duchess of Devonshire, and, wearing only a simple, white linen dress also designed by Hartnell to completely cover the coronation gown, she moved to be seated in the Coronation Chair. There, Fisher, assisted by Don, made a cross on the Queen's forehead with holy oil made from the same base as that which had been used in the coronation of her father.[11] As this segment of the ceremony was considered absolutely sacrosanct, it was concealed from the view of the television cameras by a silk canopy held above the Queen by four Knights of the Garter. When this part of the coronation was complete, and the canopy removed, Don and the Duchess of Devonshire placed on the monarch the Colobium Sindonis and Supertunica.[35]

From the altar, the Dean of Westminster passed to the Lord Great Chamberlain the spurs, which were presented to the Queen and then placed back on the altar. The Sword of State was then handed to Elizabeth, who, after a prayer was uttered by Fisher, placed it herself on the altar, and the peer who had been previously holding it took it back again after paying a sum of 100 shillings.[36] The Queen was then invested with the Armills (bracelets), Stole Royal, Robe Royal, and the Sovereign's Orb, followed by the Queen's Ring, the Sceptre with the Cross, and the Sceptre with the Dove. With the first two items on and in her right hand and the latter in her left, Queen Elizabeth was crowned by the Archbishop of Canterbury, with the crowd shouting "GOD SAVE THE QUEEN!" three times at the exact moment St. Edward's Crown touched the monarch's head. The princes and peers gathered then put on their coronets and a 21-gun salute was fired from the Tower of London.[37]

With the benediction read, Elizabeth moved to the throne and the Archbishop of Canterbury and all the Bishops offered to her their fealty, after which, while the choir sang, the peers of the United Kingdom—led by the royal peers: the Queen's husband; Prince Henry, Duke of Gloucester; and Prince Edward, Duke of Kent—each proceeded, in order of precedence, to pay their personal homage and allegiance to Elizabeth. When the last baron had completed this task, the assembly shouted "God save Queen Elizabeth. Long live Queen Elizabeth. May the Queen live for ever!"[38] Having removed all her royal regalia, Elizabeth kneeled and took the communion, including a general confession and absolution, and, along with the audience, recited the Lord's Prayer.[39]

Now wearing the Imperial State Crown and holding the Sceptre with the Cross and the Orb, and as the gathered guests sang "God Save the Queen", Elizabeth left Westminster Abbey through the nave and apse, out the Great West Door, followed by members of the Royal Family, the clergy, her prime ministers, etc. Then, transported back to Buckingham Palace in the Gold State Coach, with an escort of thousands of military personnel from around the Commonwealth, the Queen appeared on the balcony of the Centre Room before a gathered crowd as a flypast went overhead.

Although it had been assumed by many that the Master of the Queen's Musick, Arnold Bax, would be the director of music for the coronation, it was decided that it would be better to appoint the organist and master of the choristers at the abbey, William McKie, who had been in charge of music at the royal wedding in 1947. McKie convened an advisory committee with Arnold Bax and Sir Ernest Bullock, who had directed the music for the previous coronation.[40]

When it came to choosing the music, tradition demanded that Handel's "Zadok the Priest" and Parry's "I was glad" were included amongst the anthems. Other choral works included were the 16th century "Rejoice in the Lord alway" and Samuel Sebastian Wesley's "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace". Another tradition was that new work be commissioned from the leading composers of the day; Ralph Vaughan Williams composed a new motet "O Taste and See", William Walton composed a setting for the "Te Deum", and the Canadian composer Healy Willan wrote an anthem "O Lord our Governor".[16][41] Four new orchestral pieces were planned; Arthur Bliss composed "Processional"; William Walton, "Orb and Sceptre"; and Arnold Bax, "Coronation March". Benjamin Britten had agreed to compose a piece, but he caught influenza and then had to deal with flooding at Aldeburgh, so nothing was forthcoming. Edward Elgar's "Pomp and Circumstance March No. 1 in D" was played immediately before Bax's march at the end of the ceremony.[42] An innovation, at the suggestion of Vaughan Williams, was the inclusion of a hymn that the congregation were able to participate in. This proved controversial and wasn't included in the programme until the Queen had been consulted and found to be in favour; Vaughan Williams wrote an elaborate arrangement of the traditional Scottish metrical psalm, "Old 100th", which included military trumpet fanfares.[43]

A plaque marking a tree planted in the United Kingdom to commemorate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II

A stand of trees near Monmouth, Wales, planted in the form of the letters ER to commemorate the coronation of Queen Elizabeth

All across the Queen's realms, the rest of the Commonwealth, and in other parts of the world, coronation celebrations were held. The Queen Elizabeth II Coronation Medal was also presented to thousands of recipients throughout the Queen's countries and, in Canada, New Zealand, South Africa, and the UK, commemorative coins were issued.[45] Three million bronze coronation medallions were ordered by the Canadian government, struck by the Royal Canadian Mint, and distributed to schoolchildren across the country; the obverse showed Elizabeth's effigy and the reverse the royal cypher above the word CANADA, all circumscribed by ELIZABETH II REGINA CORONATA MCMLIII.[46]

As with the coronation of George VI, acorns shed from oaks in Windsor Great Park, around Windsor Castle, were shipped around the Commonwealth and planted in parks, school grounds, cemeteries, and private gardens to grow into what are known as Royal Oaks or Coronation Oaks.[47]

Warships from Sweden (right) and the Soviet Union at the Coronation Review of the Fleet.

On 15 June 1953, the new Queen attended a fleet review at Spithead off the coast at Portsmouth. There were more British and Commonwealth naval ships present than at the 1937 Coronation Review, although a third of them were frigates or smaller vessels. Major Royal Navy units included Britain's last battleship, HMS Vanguard and four fleet and three light aircraft carriers. The Royal Australian Navy and the Royal Canadian Navy also each included a light carrier in their contingents.[54] Using the frigate HMS Surprise as a royal yacht, the Queen and Royal Family started to review the lines of anchored ships at 3:30 pm, finally anchoring at 5:10. This was followed by a fly-past of some 300 naval aircraft. After the Queen transferred to the Vanguard for dinner, the day concluded with the Illumination of the Fleet and a firework display.[55]